Aspen Ideas to Go

In a wide-reaching discussion from the Aspen Security Forum, Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), discusses the major threats in the world today. From cyber warfare to Russia pulling out of a key nuclear arms treaty, the 29-member alliance is grappling with challenges across the globe. Stoltenberg speaks with Courtney Kube, Pentagon and Defense Department correspondent for NBC News, about Russia, Turkey, Afghanistan, cyberspace, and President Trump, who has been critical of NATO. He stresses the importance of being part of the organization, which celebrated its 70th anniversary this year. “NATO is good for Europe, but it’s also extremely good for the United States,” he says. “It is extremely good to have friends and allies.” Their conversation was held July 17, 2019 in Aspen, Colorado.

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Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller is scheduled to testify in front of Congress Wednesday. He’ll answer questions about the 400-plus page report he delivered to the Attorney General in March. The report details a two-year investigation on Russian election interference and whether President Trump obstructed justice. It left almost as many open questions as there were before Mueller began his probe. Some people argue the President has been cleared and it’s time to move on. How will what Mueller says to lawmakers change the public’s perspective? Will his testimony alter the trajectory in Washington? How will it impact policy? Neal Katyal, Georgetown Law professor, joins Ted Olson, former Solicitor General, and Garrett Graff, director of a Cyber-Journalism Initiative at the Aspen Institute. Mary Louise Kelly, co-host of “All Things Considered” at NPR, moderates their discussion. The views and opinions of the podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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Who controls a woman's body? Herself? Her church? Her community? Her government? Leana Wen, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, says women’s health and rights have become a political game and her organization is fighting back. New court cases threaten to erode or overturn Roe v. Wade, the Federal law that legalized abortion, says Wen. She says some women are already living a post-Roe reality with just one abortion provider in six states. She joins other physicians, from Africa and the Middle East, to discuss reproductive rights for women and girls around the globe. Agnes Binagwaho is a pediatrician and served in the Rwandan government. Shadia Elshiwy is assistant regional director for the International Planned Parenthood Federation in the Arab World Region. Pat Mitchell, editorial director and curator for TEDWomen, moderates the conversation. The views and opinions of the podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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After Russia interfered in the 2016 US presidential election, the social media giant Facebook came under deep scrutiny. Rightly so — much of the interference happened on its platform. Mark Zuckerberg, president, CEO, and founder of Facebook, says the company has spent billions and hired ten’s of thousands of people to deal with security. Still, he doesn’t want Facebook to deal with the problem alone. He told Cass Sunstein, law professor at Harvard, Facebook needs the government’s help when it comes to making decisions about the balance of free expression, safety, privacy, human dignity, and decency online. Sunstein wrote the book #Republic, which examines the link between social media and threats to democracy. (Facebook is an Aspen Ideas Festival underwriter). The views and opinions of the podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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Before it wrapped up its term in June, the Supreme Court made decisions on two landmark cases: political gerrymandering and the census. How do these decisions and the makeup of the current Court foretell what’s to come on issues like Roe v. Wade, voting rights, and free speech? A panel of leading legal experts weighs in on how this term will impact the issues at the core of American life. Panelists include Neal Katyal, former US solicitor general, Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, Annette Gordon-Reed, professor at Harvard Law School, Joan Biskupic, legal analyst for CNN, and Ted Olson, an attorney who has argued more than 60 cases in front of the Supreme Court. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates the conversation. The views and opinions of the podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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Paul Ryan may no longer be a member of Congress but he's still paying attention to the issues. The former Speaker of the US House retired in January. In this interview with Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of "PBS NewsHour," Ryan talks about immigration, the upcoming presidential election, and why he agrees with President Trump about trade and China. Their conversation was held June 23, 2019 at the Aspen Ideas Festival.

The views and opinions of the podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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What does it mean to be American? How is that story best told and understood? New York Times columnist David Brooks talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas about citizenship without certainty. Vargas was smuggled from the Philippines to his grandparents’ home in California when he was 12 years old. He discovered a few years later that he was undocumented. In Vargas's memoir, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, he describes the psychological toll he experienced from hiding from the government. The book, his first, was released September 18, 2018.

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Millennials check their phones 150 times a day, more than 2 billion people use Facebook, and another 2 billion use YouTube. What’s the root of our digital addiction? Tristan Harris, former Google ethicist and founder of the Center for Humane Technology, says these companies have perfected the use of persuasive technology and we’ve fallen for it. It’s a problem, says Harris, because technology has the power to modify people’s behavior, attitudes and beliefs. He tells author and journalist Charles Duhigg that persuasive technology is partly to blame for political polarization, election manipulation, and loneliness. Duhigg is the author of “The Power of Habit.”

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Leading up to the US presidential election in 2016, Kansas pastor Adam Hamilton noticed the people in his congregation wrestling with fear. Campaign speeches and negative ads stoked anxiety, but personal fears, such as disappointment and failure, weighed on the people in his church. Hamilton, who founded the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, explains tools for dealing with fear, whether it arises from politics or everyday life. He tells John Dickerson, journalist for CBS News, that fear shouldn’t hold us back from pursuits that promise fulfillment and joy. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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The clothing and outdoor gear company Patagonia bills itself as “the activist company” and lately, it’s been particularly active. Following the 2016 US presidential election, Patagonia donated its Black Friday sales to environmental groups. The company sued the Trump Administration for its resolution to reduce two national monuments in Utah, and in 2018 the company announced it was donating the money it saved from Trump’s tax cuts to conservation. CEO Rose Marcario says she’s acting according to the company’s values and customers are supportive. Under Marcario’s leadership, Patagonia has quadrupled revenues. In her conversation with Erik Schatzker, editor at large with Bloomberg Television, she talks about the company’s long history with activism and how championing causes impacts the bottom line. The views and opinions of the speaker are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

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